Ray,
I think I see the problem here. The thermostat does not really restrict the
flow in the sense you are talking about. With a thermostat you essentially
have two closed loop systems, one in the engine being heated and one in the
radiator being cooled. The thrmostat acts as a switch to change the working
fluid between the two closed systems, in total, then it closes again to
separate into two closed systems. That is why the engine runs cooler with the
thermostat. Have you ever taken off a radiator cap and watched the number of
times the thermostat opens and closes in one minute? I was certainly amazed at
the frequency of the thermostat as well as to the force of the flow into the
radiator.
Along the lines of your reasoning about restricting coolant flow. I had a guy
from Germany tell me a few weeks ago that a thermostat that is frozen partially
open will cause the temperature of the coolant to rise significantly. I don't
know about this nor have I tried it on any car. But it does seem to fit your
line of reasoning about restricted flow.
-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mike Fisher
fisher(at)tomahawk.dst.battelle.org "The leader has a sense of humor. He is not a stuffed shirt. He can laugh at 614/424-3620 himself. He has a humble spirit." 614/424-3918 (FAX) If I knew what I was doing, it wouldn't Battelle be research. 505 King Avenue Columbus, OH 43201-2693 "In science we can't let some guy from Podunk have the same vote as Fermi."
'93 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon (for mom and the kids) '85 Jetta GLI (to get me to work) '68 Sunbeam Alpine Series V B395017314 (just for fun) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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